Modern Warfare 3 blasts its way onto retail shelves

Fans came out to celebrate at over 200 locations in Australia today to celebrate the biggest game release of the year: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

The largest launch saw hundreds of people at EB Games Wetherill Park (pictured) in Sydney's West lining up to get their hands on the game day one. EB Games reported a few days ago that in its 14 year history in Australia, Modern Warfare 3 was the highest pre-ordering title it had ever sold, with Activision confirming today that final pre-order numbers outsold even the wildly successful Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Paul Yardley, Managing Director of GAME Australia, said it was: "the biggest and most hotly anticipated entertainment release in history. This watershed launch extends the legacy of the franchise like no other previous release."

Launching alongside Modern Warfare 3 today is Call of Duty: Elite, which is a free social games network from Beachhead Studio. It is designed to create a unified environment in which Call of Duty players can constantly track their stats, communicate with other players and organise clans, matches and more.

Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. said: "Combining the narrative punch and gameplay innovations of the next chapter in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series with the unique services of Call of Duty Elite will bring Call of Duty gamers together in a cohesive, fan-focused environment like no other."

Call of Duty: Black ops surpassed USD$650 million in sales within five days when it launched in 2010. Although we're still waiting for confirmation from Activision, Modern Warfare 3's pre-orders indicate that it could well take down its own record yet again.

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